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Magic Bus (Stagecoach)
Magic Bus is a brand of Stagecoach applied to local no-frills bus operations in the United Kingdom, usually operated on routes with strong competition from other operators. History bodied Scania N113NRB in Manchester in July 2008]] bodied Leyland Olympian in Manchester in July 2008]] bodied Volvo B10M in Manchester in July 2008]] The name was first introduced in Glasgow in 1986, where ex London Transport AEC Routemasters were used on a route to Castlemilk.Bus Industry Shooting Star With A New Target In Sight The Herald (Glasgow) 9 April 1989 In 1992 this operation was sold to Kelvin Central Buses. The brand was used in Newcastle around 1997 also when trying to eliminate smaller companies operating in the area. The buses were prone to breaking down due to their age and broken down Magicbuses in Newcastle were common sights. The Magic Bus brand was reintroduced to Glasgow by Stagecoach West Scotland in 2002.Only minutes to wait as bus war looms on lucrative route The Herald '' (Glasgow) 27 May 2002 At its peak it was used on three routes; one was withdrawn in 2005,Magic bus route to vanish ''The Herald (Glasgow) 15 April 2005 and the remainder in 2006. It was also used more recently in Liverpool by Stagecoach Merseyside. The Magic Bus brand was introduced by Stagecoach Manchester to the Wilmslow Road bus corridor where Bullocks Coaches, Finglands and UK North competed. In 2006 the Magic Bus brand was introduced in Manchester on route 192 to counter a bus war started by UK North.Council concerns over 'bus war' BBC News 3 April 2006 Following UK North being delicenced, the Magic Bus ceased operating on route 192 with all services provided by Stagecoach liveried buses.Bus companies banned from roads BBC News 22 December 2006 Buses used in Manchester have been older buses from the Stagecoach Manchester fleet including Leyland Olympians, Volvo B10Ms, Volvo Olympians, Scania N113NRBs as well as some 3-axle Leyland Olympians imported from Stagecoach's operations in Hong Kong (via a stint with Megabus) and Kenya. Present operations As at September 2013 the Manchester Magic Bus fleet consisted of 67 1999 to 2003 built Dennis Trident 2s operating on Wilmslow Road routes 142, 143 and 145.Weekly Ticket - Magicrider Stagecoach Manchester 31 March 2013 In April 2010 Stagecoach Manchester purchased competitor Bullocks Coaches,Bus firm sells routes Manchester Evening News 19 April 2010 however the proposed sale of Fingland's to First Manchester will ensure competition remains on the corridor.FirstGroup plc Agree to Acquire Finglands Bus Operations in Manchester FirstGroup 1 August 2013 In April 2012 Magic Bus was introduced in Rotherham by Stagecoach Yorkshire on route 22 to compete directly with First's service of the same route number, albeit a slightly different route terminating at Manvers instead of Barnsley. Dennis Darts are used on this service.Bus 22 22X X22 Travel South YorkshireService 22 Magicbus Rotherham - Manvers - Wath Stagecoach April 2012 Magic Mini The brand was also used in Ayrshire for a time to compete against Ayrways in Ayr and T&E Docherty in Irvine. The Ayr operation used minibuses and larger single-deck buses branded as Magic Mini, which were introduced in February 2004. The brand has since been dropped in Ayrshire when the competing operators withdrew their services. The Magic Mini brand was also engaged in a miniature bus war on the Black Isle to Inverness route in the Scottish Highlands with local operator Scotbus, with Stagecoach in Inverness adopting aggressive tactics such as scheduling buses five minutes before the rival operator and undercutting fares. Competition between the two operators was acrimonious, climaxing in an arson attack on Stagecoach's Inverness depot. See also *Stagecoach Gold *List of bus operators of the United Kingdom References External links Category:Stagecoach Group bus operators in England Category:No frills Category:Transport in Highland (council area) Category:Transport in Glasgow Category:Transport in North Ayrshire Category:Transport in Greater Manchester Category:Bus operators in Scotland